Where is America moving?

Since January 1993, Atlas Van Lines has reviewed and released data on the origins and destinations of interstate (or between states) moves throughout the previous calendar year. The 2014 Migration Patterns study results provide a snapshot of relocation patterns. This year, 26 states were balanced, 14 states were outbound, and ten states, in addition to Washington D.C., were inbound.

In 2014, the total number of interstate and inter-province moves reached 76,979, slightly down from 77,308 in 2013. In addition, regional trends show changes occurred in the West, Northeast, South and Midwest. The most significant changes took place in the Canadian Provinces.

Other migration trends:

Northern States

The Northern states saw one major change from 2013 to 2014, with Vermont going from a balanced to outbound state. The remainder of the states did not undergo any status change in 2014. New York and New Jersey have been outbound for more than 12 years, while Washington D.C. remains the only location in the area to be inbound over that same time span.

Southern States

The Southern states had three status changes, with Florida and Mississippi going from balanced to inbound states. West Virginia also shifted from balanced to outbound. Once again, Florida ranks in the top three states with the highest number of moves.

Midwestern States

The Midwestern states remained the same in 2014, with the exception of Missouri going from balanced to outbound. Similar to 2013, North Dakota was the only state in the region to register as inbound.

Western States

The Western states registered two changes. Montana went from being inbound to balanced, while Washington changed from balanced to inbound in 2014. Similar to 2013, the majority of the Western United States remained balanced.

Canadian Provinces

The most significant change for 2014 occurred in the Canadian Provinces where five provinces changed status. Alberta and New Brunswick went from being balanced to outbound; Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island went from being inbound to outbound; and Northwest Territories went from outbound to inbound. In addition, the Yukon Territory became outbound.

How is a state classified?

Each state/province has a threshold value, which is the total number of shipments multiplied by 0.55 (for example, in a state with 100 moves, at least 55 of them would have to be outgoing to classify the state as outbound). A state/province is considered: